Dear Mustang Families,

What another great week here at PMPS! Our school was represented proudly at the cross country running meet. Mrs. Corbett and Mrs. Landry trained with children over the last month and they competed with grit and a great school spirit. 21 students ran with a few placing in the top 10 and even more placing in the top 20 (there are sometimes up to 100 kids in divisions).  I love the meet, so many smiles,  despite running so hard. Congratulations to all of our students and a special thanks to our coaches. 

A big shout out to Tania, our CYC for bringing GET REAL back to PMPS for our inclusion assembly for our continued learning. I love how authentic and well facilitated the sessions are. Sadly, we had some resistance to the presentation.  This reaffirms the need to continue this work and support our students and staff. It is important to always call out unacceptable and unsafe behaviour. According to the WHY survey that over 95% of our students completed, 17.3% of our grade 4-8 students identify as something other than hetrosexual. I will share more about the WHY Survey  at November’s School Council meeting. 

If you missed it, here is the link to last night’s CBC’s the National that featured PMPS and Mrs. Corbett’s grade 3 class: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7373599 . We are very proud of our students. Mrs. Corbett, and all of our staff who have worked so hard on math. 

Professional Activity Day Description: October 26, 2026

Information for Elementary Parents/Guardians

Length: Full Day

Elementary AM Topics:

● Curriculum Implementation (150 minutes) inclusive of:

○ Literacy

○ Mathematics

○ Artificial Intelligence (embedded)

Elementary PM Topics:

● Progress Report Writing

Entity Hosting: Upper Grand DSB

Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s): Administrators/Individual

Focus: Assessment, Literacy and Mathematics:

On October 26, elementary school staff will take part in professional learning focused on supporting student success in literacy and mathematics. Educators will work together to review student learning information, identify strengths and areas where students may need more support, and plan next steps for classroom instruction

Kindergarten educators will focus on using classroom observations, assessments and

reading and mathematics information to plan instruction and targeted supports. Grade

1–8 educators will also review student learning information and identify ways to

strengthen classroom instruction and provide additional support for students who need

it. Staff will also explore Edwin, a digital learning platform with curriculum resources and

tools that can be used to support teaching and student learning. The goal of the day is to help educators use information about student learning to plan responsive instruction and ensure students receive the support they need to continue to grow in literacy and mathematics. The afternoon will be dedicated to progress report card writing.

PMPS Food Program:  PMPS Families we are asking for your support once again. Did you know we offer breakfast from Monday through Friday for any child who needs it? This is in addition to our nutrition program that we run throughout the day to fuel our learning. Each month we have seen an increase in the number of students who are accessing food through PMPS. Last year we spent over $16,000 on food for students and this year we have already spent $1850.

You also might not know that we do not receive funding from any form of government or the school board. It is up to our principal to find the funding to continue to purchase food.  We have been fortunate to be supported through President’s Choice, The Compass Run, Orangeville Food Bank, The ODD Fellows, Tweedsmuir Church, Quest for Cakes,  and other generous community members and organizations. With the increase of food costs and the number of students who are using the program, we are asking that any family who is able, make a small donation to help. If you cannot this month, please consider it in the future.  Thank you in advance for any support that you can give and for those families who have previously donated.

We are also still looking for volunteers to help with our daily snack trays. We still need volunteers for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. If you are interested we need a VSC completed in the last 6 months. If you do not have a VSC, we can provide a letter to the OPP so the check is free. 

Word of Mouth Competition (Streams Hub):  Word of Mouth is our 6th annual monologue competition for young performers ages 8 to 17 who live in Dufferin County or attend a UGDSB school. Students compete in two categories, Junior (8–12) and Senior (13–17). They choose a monologue from our list, record their performance, and submit it online. Selected finalists then perform live. No prior experience is needed. New performers are welcome and encouraged. Prizes in each category are $1,000 for first place, $500 for second, and $250 for third, along with Fan Favourite Awards. Registration closes October 11, which is the last day to submit an entry.You can find more information and enter at yourwordofmouth.ca. Watch previous years' events on our YouTube channel. Streams Community Hub is a registered Canadian charity and a formal community partner of the UGDSB. Word of Mouth is independently organized and presented by Streams and is not a UGDSB program or event.

October Communications Newsletter: 

The October Communications Newsletter is out!  In this month's issue:

• Cyber Awareness Month 2026

• Student and Family Support Office

• School Zone Safety

You can view the newsletter here: https://www.ugdsb.ca/page/communications-newsletter

HALLOWEEN: Many schools celebrate Halloween with costume dress up and/or black and orange.  Halloween is a day that is not observed by all students or staff. With this, it is considered a choice to participate as are all spirit days. Alternate and supportive accommodations are provided for students if school events take place (e.g. parade). Please reach out to your child(ren)’s teacher to speak more about accommodations. 

Costumes:  It is our responsibility to ensure that all school community members (e.g., students, staff, parents in our building…) avoid using identities and cultures as costumes. This includes appropriative costumes/cultural stereotypes (i.e. cultural garments), black/brown face, transphobic costumes (i.e. man dressed as a woman), body-shaming and objectifying costumes, and costumes that joke about situations that have caused harm. Such costumes perpetuate stereotypes and can cause harm that can further marginalize and oppress community members. We also ask that violent, scary, and bloody costumes are also not worn, as these costumes scare some students. All props and accessories stay at home as well, so they are not lost. If costumes violate the above criteria, students will be asked to remove their costume and parents/guardians will be notified. Thanks for helping to make our school a safe and inclusive environment for all. Teachers will provide more guidance about the details around Halloween (e.g. when costumes should be worn etc). 

Important Upcoming Dates: 

October: 

-9th: Officer Amy at PMPS to present about Cyber safety to all grade 5-8s (email sent home with new date) 

-12th: Thanksgiving- No School

-13th: Grade 7 Immunizations 

-15th: Fall Dental Screenings (email was sent this week) 

-16th: Developmental Language Disorder Awareness Day 

-20th: ECE appreciation day

-20th: All IEPs go home

-23rd & 30th: Diary Educator’s Program K-8 (letters will come home)

-26th: PD Day -no school for students 

-27th to 29th: CCAT grade 3 testing

-28th: PMPS individual picture retakes, staff photo, and class photos

November: 

-2nd to 6th: Treaties Recognition Week

-5th: New Director &CEO Mr. MacDonald & SO Mr. Cousins visit

-11th: Remembrance Day 

-11th: Progress reports go home

-27th: PD Day (interview day)

December: 

-5th: 30th Annual Holiday Craft Fair at PMPS 9am-2pm. 

Spirit Days: 

-October 9th: Fall Colours!  Wear fall colours like brown, red, orange, or yellow to celebrate Fall and Thanksgiving!

-October 16th: October is Global Diversity Awareness Month!  Let’s promote cultural diversity, inclusion, and mutual respect worldwide by wearing lots of bright colours! 

-October 23rd: School Colours Day! PMPS students and staff can wear purple, grey, blue, or white to show their school pride!

-Preparation for Diwali: Each class can make a colourful paper chain - with a sunflower on it- to be ready for Diwali on November 8th. Paper chains due to Miss. Lyon on November 6th!

-October 30th: Black and Orange Day OR  Costume Day

Reminders:

Milk & Pizza Sales: Milk is cash only ($1.25)  and will be on sale on the 25th. Pasta sales are also up and running now and we are also selling freezies. 

Supervision: Please remember that students should not be arriving before 820am in the morning and need to be picked up/ or leave the school at the dismissal bell at 250pm. Our school day is from 830am to 250pm every day. 

Spirit Wear:  Spirit wear can be ordered at any time during the year now.  Please visit http://princessmargaret.deco-apparel.com/

We’ll see everyone for another day of learning on Friday. Have a wonderful long weekend. If you celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you have a restful celebration with family and friends. Thank you for your ongoing support. It means so much to our staff and students. 

Andrea Papavasiliou

Proud Principal of PMPS